Tag Archives: Giants News

The news gets odder and odder around here. We went from losing Osi Umenyiora and regaining Steve Smith to keeping Osi and losing Smith in the blink of an eye. Smith signed with the scourge Eagles yesterday and Osi said he would begin scrimmaging with the team next week if doctors clear him on Monday

Smith is coming back from microsurgery on his knee and his ability to play this year at full tilt is in question. The deal is only for one year, so what is Philly really gaining here?

Osi did individual drills yesterday and looked relatively sharp for a guy who hasn’t worked out much and is supposedly injured….

The team practiced in the early afternoon yesterday and will again today in preparation for Saturday’s preseason opener in Carolina.

Of the players who sat out, only Osi is a starter. Rookies DT Marvin Austin and OT James Brewer returned to action as did WR Devin Thomas – dislocated finger and all.

Par for the course: TE Travis Beckum sat with a sore hamstring. He is one of the five backups the Giants are trying to replace Kevin Boss with. I think it’s time to move on at TE folks, don’t you agree?

The Giants have improved in only one area this year: special teams and that is partly due to the league moving the kickoff line up five yards. They also get ST ace Domenik Hixon back and have a new punter (Steve Weatherford) that will help them establish better field position.

Tagged Giants News, New York Giants |

In a crazy turn of events over the past 24-36 hours, Steve Smith went from returning to the Giants to becoming a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants were kicking around an offer to the injured Smith, pondering how much he would play vs how much he was worth.  The prognosis was that Smith would proabably miss at least the first month of the season, maybe more. Tom Coughlin said that Smith’s comeback would be a “long haul”.

The Eagles didn’t seem to care. They have been spending like drunken sailors this summer and Smith does two things for them immediately: bolsters their long-term picture at WR and keeps one of Eli Manning‘s favorite targets from hurting them down the road.

This is the latest indication of how much of a cap crunch the Giants are experiencing. Smith is the second Giants’ offensive staple to flee to another team in the past week. TE Kevin Boss signed with the Oakland Raiders last Friday night.

The contract offer according to Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News was as follows:

They offered him a one-year, $4 million contract with $2 million in guaranteed money — or what a source familiar with his situation said was “way, way more” than the Giants were willing to pay.

Tagged Giants News, Philadelphia Eagles, Steve Smith |

No practice yesterday, but one today – at 1:30pm so take note if you are planning on attending…here is what is happening around the net Giants-wise:

• Steve Smith is here, but without a contract
• New center David Bass has big shoes to fill 
• John Mara says its too early to panic
• Victor Cruz ready to assume starting – and starring – role 
• Watch out, there’s a Hynoceros on the loose
• WFAN’s Mike Francesa continues his feud with Jet fans

Tagged Giants News, Mike Francesa, New York Giants Links, Steve Smith |

As my peer Charles Costello previously stated, the end to the lockout seems to be on the horizon.

According to an article released earlier today by Todd Porter of Cantonrep.com all signs point towards the annual Hall of Fame game being played on August 7th. So far that is the clearest sign that the lockout may be coming to an end.

Porter quoted Hall of Fame executive director Stephen Perry saying, “We’re seeing the same (optimism) everyone else is seeing. There’s not any other detailed information, but that’s what we’re hearing.”

The NFL’s public relations department also tweeted that they were drafting a formal agreement today and were sharing it with the player’s association. This is great news for both the NFL and fans alike, but some questions remain.

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Tagged 2011, Ahmad Bradshaw, giants, Giants Football Blog, Giants News, Giants Training Camp, Kel Dansby, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants News, NFL Lockout |

Should Osi Umenyiora remain a Giant? That’s a more adequate question than, “Will Osi Umenyiora be a Giant? “

Osi is known to have off again on again seasons and though there is no questioning his current skills, he may be more of a luxury than a need at this point.

Osi is the second best Defensive end on his own team, yet he is expecting to be paid like a top 5 DE. Approaching his 9th season with the Giants Umenyiora has recurring injuries and can hardly be considered the athletic specimen he once was. He relies more on his technique and veteran savvy to make plays rather than his speed or strength. That makes him arguably the 3rd ranked DE on his team as far as athletic ability is concerned.

Jason Pierre-Paul is the Giants 2010 1st round pick and like both Osi and Tuck before him it may be time for him to be thrown into the fire. He is further along in his first year than either of those two and it is fair to expect a huge sack spike when he is inserted into the starting lineup.

It may be time for the Giants to part ways with Osi and see what compensation they can get in return. St. Louis seems like it could be a perfect destination for him and it is possible to think that any draft pick received from the Rams can turn into a top 10 pick.

It may be time for Umenyiora and the Giants to cordially part ways and plan for the future.

Below is a comparison between Tuck and Umenyiora’s career stats:

Tuck
Sfty Defl
16 GM 76 TKLs 48 Ast 28 Solo 11.5 Sacks 2010
16 GM 59 TKLs 44 Ast 15 Solo 6.0 Sacks 2009
16 GM 67 TKLs 52 Ast 15 Solo 12.0 Sacks 2008
16 GM 65 TKLs 48 Ast 17 Solo 10.0 Sacks 2007
6 GM 10 TKLs 6 Ast 4 Solo 0.0 Sacks 2006
14 GM 31 TKLs 26 Ast 5 Solo 1.0 Sacks 2005

Umenyiora

16 GM 48 TKLs 33 Ast 15 Solo 11.5 Sacks 2010
16 GM 29 TKLs 19 Ast 10 Solo 7.0 Sacks 2009
0 GM Injured Injured Injured 2008
16 GM 52 TKLs 40 Ast 12 Solo 13.0 Sacks 2007
11 GM 31 TKLs 24 Ast 7 Solo 6.0 Sacks 2006
16 GM 70 TKLs 48 Ast 22 Solo 14.5 Sacks 2005
16 GM 58 TKLs 40 Ast 18 Solo 7.0 Sacks 2004
13 GM 20 TKLs 13 Ast 7 Solo 1.0 Sacks 2003

Tagged 2011, Giants Football Blog, Giants News, Justin Tuck, Kel Dansby, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants News, NFL Labor News, Osi Umenyiora |

Plaxico Burress has gone from prison inmate to highly touted free agent in a matter of days. The ex-Giant receiver is rumored to have numerous suitors throughout the NFL including the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. But instead of contemplating about where he will land or his future impact on the football field, I’m wondering why all of the hype for an over rated player?

The image of Plax catching the Super bowl winning touchdown against the Pats is what most New York fans remember of Burress’ career with the Giants. It’s somewhat of an ideological image fans have of a man that was more myth than production.

Now I cannot take anything away from his game against the Packers in the NFL Championship. He carved up their secondary and had some of the best clutch plays I have ever seen from a wide out in the playoffs. But once again I think it was even more special because it was out of the norm from what Plax usually did for the Giants offense.

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Tagged 2011, giants, Giants Football Blog, Giants News, Kel Dansby, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants News, NFC East, Plaxico Burress |

As a fan of the Giants and being from New York City I wanted to see the Jets and Giants play the September 11th game this season. We all remember where we were on that day and can remember how all sports paid tribute to the effected in the weeks afterwards. This being the 10 year anniversary I, along with many other fans, thought it was a lock that both New York teams would face each other.

We were all surprised to see that The New York Jets were to host The Dallas Cowboys at the Meadowlands and that the Giants would be traveling to play the Redskins in Washington DC. I admit at first I thought that this was a big mistake by the league. “It was a missed opportunity for something special,” I said.

Now that I look at the games I must say that the NFL scheduled these games perfectly. Being a New Yorker I will always remember that day for how it affected New York, but I often lose sight of how it affected the Nation.

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Tagged 2011, 9/11, Dallas Cowboys, Eli Manning, four one ent, giants, Giants News, Kel Dansby, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Jets, NFL Schedule, September 11th, Washington Redskins |

Once again injuries took center stage at Tom Coughlin‘s daily media session.

Q: Is Ross any better?
A: No.

Q: Is Ross any worse?
A: No. He did go for the second opinion and I think they either put a boot or a cast on him so he’ll be a good few days anyway.

Q: Where did he go for that?
A: Charlotte, I believe.

Read More

Tagged Giants News, New York Giants Blogs |

Blogging in July is Like Trying To Get Water From a Rock

NFL Bloggers are always looking to find ways to keep the momentum going in the off-season.  Giants bloggers are no different.  July is a 31-day month that has no official team meetings or workouts. Pickings are slim. 

Many of the players and coaches are using this time to take a respite from the grueling NFL calendar (which is threatening to become more active should the league pass the initiative to expand the regular season to 18 games).

So, there is little news other than the unexpected: legal troubles, obituaries, financial updates and then there are non-football related items such as public appearances.   Outside of that, it’s just you and a blank screen.

GFB will continue to post daily to help football junkies alleviate their withdrawal.  GFB will also be taking this time to retool our presentation.  We should have a fresh-look by summer’s end and we are planning new features and adding new contributors.

At this point we would like to introduce our newest contributor, Dan Orlando. Dan is currently finishing up his undergrad in communications at Syracuse University and has an impressive resume that includes both radio and print experience.

Dan currently works for Howard Stern and iNDEMAND as a public relations intern. and served as a contributor to the Morris County (NJ) Daily Record. He is also a staff writer at one of the premier college papers in the country, The Daily Orange. Dan was a member of the podcast team at Nygiantscast  alongside ESPN radio’s own Kyle Bonn (host of the Bonnfire) and Kevin Brown, which has been featured on Ralph Vacchiano’s Blue Screen. Dan will be hosting a morning talk show on Z89. FM’s “The Beat of Syracuse” this Fall.

Please join us in welcoming Dan to the team here at GFB.

Around the Blogosphere….

FanHuddle, which burst on to the sports blogging scene with much promise and fanfare last year, is no longer.  The site recruited many top sports bloggers around the net and was reportedly destined to be the top blogging mill in America.  For a brief moment in time, they almost succeeded.  No word on why the plug was pulled.  Apparently, there had been technical and financial issues that had been bogging them down…

As for the Giants’ blogs….

Ernie Palladino knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.  He’s taking a break for July.   Looks like many others are as well, including Pro Football NYC. 

Ed Valentine at Big Blue View is still doing his  Giants by the Numbers series.  Pat Traina usually posts daily at her blog Train-a-Thought.  I keep thinking about her hustling around at mini-camp getting every interview possible in preparation for the football dry season.

Bob Papa, Harry Carson and Jim Hall were on ESPN Radio yesterday with Bonnie Bernstein and Greg Buttle reflecting on the life of the great Bob Sheppard.

My summer reading list just got longer….

Last week, I received a book in the mail for my perusal and review: The Most Memorable Games in Giants History: The Oral History of a Legendary Team by Jim Baker and Bernard G. Corbett.  Stay tuned…

Tagged Giants Blogs, Giants News, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs |

Consider this another reminder of just how important it will be for the 2010 Giants to run the ball effectively.

By now you know the story: Two years ago, when the Giants finished 12-4, they led the league in rushing. Last year, when they finished 8-8, the Giants finished 17th in the league, rushing for 681 less yards than they did the previous year.

Running backs’ coach Jerald Ingram talked to Giants.com about the ground game. Here are the highlights:

On improving the running game:

“What we need to do is come back with great attitude, great force, [and] great leadership on the field. We want to set the tone for what we do out there through the run game, really do a better job of taking care of the whole team. We had a little bit of a setback last year. We’re going to try to do a better job of staying focused. Sometimes when you go through adversity you have a better look at how to handle things the second time around. I think we all learned something last year.”

On the importance of establishing the run:

“That’s what we have been [doing] ever since we have been here - how tough and physical we are in the run game, how good we’ve been in the run game. We set the tone from that standpoint. We try to keep the ball in our hands. That is our signature that we want to get back to, and I think we can get back to that.”

On the competition for playing time:

“We have a good group of guys. We’re going to put people in the right positions. Competition is a great thing to have. The best place to learn is on the field. We’ve got some good people to do some different things with.”

Tagged Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, Giants News, New York Giants | ← Older postsNewer posts →